Twilight, Crescent Moon
by amateurwriter21
Summary: Leah once told Jacob that she was happy that Sam was finally truly happy. She also told Jacob that she just didn't want to stick around to watch. Leah leaves Washington state and moves to California to start her life over. When she returns four years later she is a completely different Leah than the one the pack once knew. One pack member in particular is strongly effected by her.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from the Twilight saga.**

 **Author's Note: Hello! Some of you may have read my first fanfiction about Leah Clearwater and Embry Call, and I welcome you back for a new and better version. I realized as I was writing my first one that it wasn't exactly what I wanted. This one will be longer with many tweaks and changes to the story. I just love writing these. It takes away the stress that builds up from my everyday life.**

 **Chapter 1 Pieces**

Jake stretched out on the couch in his father's living room. A week and a few days had passed since the encounter with the Volturi. The packs and the Cullen's could finally relax now that the danger had passed. Jake spent as much time as he could with Nessie, his imprint, before Bella and Edward told him to go home and get some rest. Jake mostly just laid around the house.

At the moment, Jacob Black was finishing a late breakfast of eggs and bacon and watching the news. His cell phone vibrated on the coffee table next to him. It was a text from Sam.

'Hey. I'm getting my pack together for a quick meeting about adjusting patrols on the rez. Join us and bring Leah and Seth. 2 hours. My place.'

Jake stared at his phone and thought about it. Sam was right. The packs couldn't just completely let down their guard now. Those Volturi are unpredictable. They could turn around and come right back to Forks in an instant. He texted back his agreement to meet, then he texted Seth and Leah with the info.

An hour and a half later, Jacob was washed, changed into fresh jeans and t-shirt, and out the door to Sam's. It didn't take long to get to Sam and Emily's. They live a little further into the reservation than Jake and his dad, but their house was easy enough to get to. Jake pulled his car into the gravel driveway and put it in park. As he knocked on the front door, he could hear the guys laughing inside.

"Hello, Jacob." Emily greeted him happily.

"Hey, Emily." Jake replied.

"They're all in the living room." She told him as she stood back to let him by.

Jake smiled politely and made sure not to look at the scars on her face as he walked passed her. Emily was such a sweet woman, to everyone. In the living room he found Quil, Embry, Jared, Paul, Seth, Collin, and Sam. They were all talking, eating chips, and seemed to be watching an episode of America's Funniest Videos. Somebody was missing here though.

"Jake!" Sam greeted from the couch. "Glad you're here. How's it going?"

"Eh, good. You?" He replied as he sat on the arm of the couch, next to Quil.

"Just fine." Sam said with content as he picked up the remote and turned off the TV. "Now we can get this little meeting started."

"Uh, wait." Jake started and looked at Seth. "Where is Leah?"

"She isn't coming." Seth told him.

"What? Why?" Jake asked in slight frustration.

"She just said that she wasn't coming and slammed her bedroom door in my face." Seth said and shrugged.

"Okay." Jake sighed and turned back to Sam. "So, Sam, what are your ideas for a new patrol schedule?"

"Alright." Sam began as he sat up straighter. "So, I know that most of you have to get back to school soon and I don't want to interfere with that. You four have already missed so much school because of those Volturi blood suckers."

"So then maybe weekends for us?" Jake asked.

"Exactly. I'm thinking you and Embry on friday nights, you and Quil on Saturday nights, and you and Collin on Sunday nights."

"Aw, man! Why do I get three nights and they each only get one?" Jake complained.

"Because you're an alpha. Besides they're only four hour shifts. Jared, Paul, myself, and hopefully Leah will pick up all the other days. And again, they will be short shifts."

"That sounds agreeable to me. Does everyone else agree?" Jake asked.

All the guys nodded and grunted their agreements. Sam laughed and declared it the easiest meeting ever. They all went back to eating chips, discussing video games, and watching TV. Jake stayed and hung out for another 45 minutes. He actually planned on seeing Nessie, Bella, and Edward today.

"I'm off to the Cullen's." He announced as he stood from the couch.

"Later, bro." Embry said and half waved at him without taking his eyes from the TV screen.

"Thanks for coming over." Sam told him and shook his hand. He walked Jacob to the front door.

"I've been thinking about your request, by the way." He added when they reached the door. "The elders and I think that there is no harm in allowing Nessie to come onto the reservation. As long as you are with her. The other Cullens, though, may not."

Jake stopped and gave Sam a look. "Come on. We know the Cullens now. They aren't dangerous."

"There will always be a risk with them. Especially with Bella and Jasper. Take it or leave it."

Jake sighed with defeat. "Alright. At least Nessie is allowed. Thanks Sam."

"You're welcome. See you later."

Jake got into his car and started it. He sat for a moment. Leah had suddenly come to mind. He was frustrated that she didn't show up for the meeting. He had made her his Beta and this is how she thanked him? Although, she had been avoiding everybody since the day after the show down with the Volturi. Maybe something else was wrong? Jake decided to make a stop at the Clearwater's house before leaving the reservation.

Outside the Clearwater's two story home, Jake saw Sue's car parked in the driveway. Leah didn't have her own car, but Jake had a feeling she was home. He parked on the street and made his way up to the door. He knocked and waited. Sue was the one who answered. She was dressed in her uniform for her diner and had her jacket on.

"Jacob, hello." She greeted politely.

"Hey, Sue. Is Leah around?" He asked her right away.

Sue's brows furrowed and she bite her lip. "Um, yes. She's upstairs, but I'm not sure she wants to see anybody." She said hesitantly.

"Please, may I go up and see her? I'm starting to feel like something is wrong."

"Okay. I guess she should tell somebody anyway. I'm on my way to work, can you tell her I'll be home shortly after closing?"

"Um, yeah. Thanks." Jake agreed in confusion and entered the house. "Have a good day."

He shut the door when she left and turned for the stairs. At the upstairs landing Jake found the door to Leah's room shut. He could hear her walking around inside. He knocked.

"Leah? It's me, Jake." He announced.

"I'm not in the mood, Jake. Just go." Leah said through the door. She sounded frustrated and sad.

"No. I'm not leaving. What is going on with you? Why weren't you at the meeting?"

"Because I didn't feel like going!" She answered in a loud voice.

"Let me in!" Jake demanded and pounded once on the door.

"No!" She yelled angerly.

"Why? Are you naked in there?"

"What? No!" She yelled and opened the door a crack. One of her chocolate colored eyes peeked at him. "Why do you care, Jake? Just go."

"Because I'm your friend and your alpha. That's why." He said as he pushed the door open. "Now I know something is going on, so tell me."

Leah backed up as Jake entered her room. She was, in fact, dressed. She wore cropped khaki pants and a dark green tank. Her room was a disaster. There were clothes everywhere. On her bed, on her dresser, and on the floor. Jake looked at her and raised his eyebrows.

"Doing a little early spring cleaning, or did your hamper explode?" He asked her in amusement.

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "No." She grabbed an armful of clothes from the floor and piled them on her bed.

Jake watched her then looked around the room again. In the corner of her room he saw an open suitcase sitting on a chair. It was halfway packed with neatly folded jeans, shirts, and socks. Suddenly he got a bad feeling. He looked back at her in horror. She was silently watching him from next to her bed with a look of guilt.

"Are you going somewhere?" He asked.

"Yes." She answered quietly.

"Where? Why?"

"I'm leaving Forks for a while, Jake. I can't be here anymore. There's nothing for me here and I need to take ahold of my own life." She told him sadly.

"You weren't going to tell me?" He asked. He was a little hurt and offended.

"I'm sorry. I was going to leave you a letter."

"A letter? Wh… I…" He wasn't sure what to say. "I'm your alpha, I can make you stay."

"Jake." She said sadly. "We both know one of the reasons why I joined your pack was because you would let me go. You wouldn't try to control me."

"Yeah." Jake sighed. "Does anybody else know? Your mom?"

"Yes, my mom knows. I'm waiting to tell Seth. He can't keep a secret."

Jake nodded in understanding. "When are you going?"

"Tomorrow."

"Geeze! So soon?" He asked, then added. "Do you need a ride to the airport?"

"That would be great, Jake. Thank you."

"That's what friends are for. Where are you going?"

"California." She answered with a smile.

"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" He asked weakly.

"Yes. The decision has been made. I need this." She answered as she folded a couple of shirts and set them in the suitcase. "After all the things I went through with Sam, my father's death, and phasing. I need this badly."

They stared at each other for a moment. He was sad that she was leaving, but proud that she was taking control of life. They understood each other. They both had had difficulties with love and accepting life as a wolf. The only difference is that Jake's happy ending eventually came and Leah's had not.

"Come here." He said and opened his arms to her. She walked over and hugged him. "I'll miss ya."

"Yeah, I guess I'll miss you too." She mumbled and broke away from him.

"Do you need help?" He offered.

"No. I've got this." She sighed and looked around her room.

"What time should I be here?"

"9 am."

"Then I will be here at 9am." He sighed. "For now, I should go."

"See you tomorrow, Jake. And don't tell anybody until after you drop me off at the airport. Please."

"I won't tell. See you." He said and turned to go.

When Jake was back in his car, sat there thinking. She was right, she had to go if she wanted to save herself. It was too bad because they had just recently became good friends. He hoped that she wouldn't be gone for too long. He rubbed his eyes and sent a text to Bella, letting her know that he was on his way over. With one last glance up towards Leah's house, Jake started his car and drove away.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 Goodbye To You**

Jacob sighed as he turned his car onto the street to Leah's. It was just before 9 am and he was about to pick Leah up to take her to the airport. Seconds later he was parked in front of her house. He felt bad for Sue. He knew this was going to be hard for her. It wasn't that long ago that she had lost her husband, and now her only daughter was leaving home. To make matters worse, Leah didn't even know when she was coming back.

He got out of the car and walked up to the door. He knocked a couple times before Seth opened it. The kid looked torn between anger and sadness. He gave Seth a sympathetic smile as he walked into the house. In the living room he found Leah and Sue. Sue was crying and hugging Leah tightly as Leah patted her mother on the back. She too had tears rolling down her cheeks. Her suitcase and duffle bag sat next to her on the floor.

"Hey, Jake." Leah sniffed as she broke away from her mother. "You're right on time."

"Yeah." Jake said awkwardly. He pointed at her luggage and asked, "Should I take those to the car?"

"Yeah sure. I'll be out in a minute." She told him.

Jake picked up the duffle bag and suitcase and walked back out the door. Seth was quiet. He watched Jake leave with his sister's luggage. As Jake descended the porch steps he heard Seth ask Leah if she really had to leave them. _Poor kid. He's lost a lot too._ Jacob thought to himself. After putting Leah's things into the trunk, he leaned against his car and waited for her. He didn't want to be in the middle of their good-byes. Minutes later Leah walked out of the house and right to Jake's car. Sue and Seth watched from the porch.

"Are you sure you don't want your mom to drive you to the airport?" Jake asked as he buckled his seatbelt.

"I'm sure." Leah sniffed and buckled her own seatbelt. "They'd be too emotional."

"Okay." Jake said and off they went.

The ride to Port Angeles took about an hour. Leah didn't speak for most of the ride. She just stared out the window, watching the trees go by. Jake turned on the radio to fill the silence. Eventually, he had had enough.

"So, may I ask where in California you are going?" He asked her.

"San Louis Obispo." She answered calmly. "I've saved up enough money to start going to college there. There are a lot of restaurants there and with all my experience at the diner I'm sure I will find a job there easy."

"It sounds like you've thought about this for a while." Jake commented.

"I've thought about this off and on ever since I started phasing." She admitted. "I didn't commit to it until right after the whole thing with the Cullens."

"Okay." He said and nodded, then he added, "Can you do me a favor while you're gone?"

Leah turned her head towards him and eyed him suspiciously. "What?" She asked slowly.

"Keep in contact with me. Okay? E-mail me or text me or something?" He asked her.

"You want me to keep in contact with you? Why?" She asked in confusion.

"Leah, you are my friend and you were my first Beta for my pack. Seth might like to think he was the first one, but really it was you. So, I too would like to know that you are okay."

"Oh, Jake." Leah said quietly. "Alright, I promise."

"And one more thing."

Leah rolled her eyes. "What?"

"Please come back. Don't leave forever. I don't know what it is, but something is telling me that there is still something here for you."

"I'm not leaving forever Jake. Just long enough to find myself." She said and patted his shoulder.

As they neared the airport, the conversation had turned lighter. Jake told her that she had better learn to surf and to speak surfer. She laughed and agreed to learn how to surf. She told him that she was excited to be in a sunny place. It would be so different compared to Forks. They were still laughing and talking as Jake parked the car in the garage at the airport. They both quieted down however as the entered the building. Leah checked in her luggage and received her plane ticket.

"Well." She started nervously. "This is it. They say I can go wait for the plane now."

Jake nodded and looked passed her towards the security gates. "Okay." He looked back at her. "I'm proud of you, Leah. You deserve this. Remember to e-mail or text."

Leah smiled up at him. "I'll remember. Thanks Jacob."

Jake watched as Leah turned away and started walking. Suddenly she came to a halt and turned around. She smiled and walked back over to him. He looked at her in confusion.

"Listen." She said with a sneaky smile. "I want to leave here already having a new start, so please don't take what I'm about to do the wrong way."

"Wha- " He started but she interrupted him.

Leah reached up and placed one hand behind Jake's head. She pulled him down to her and kissed him hard. Jake was shocked beyond belief, but he didn't pull away. He lightly placed one hand on her waist and kissed her back until she was through. Her lips were soft and kissed him with determination. When she pulled away he just stared at her dumbly.

"What was that for?" He asked breathlessly.

"I really didn't want my last kiss here to Sam's." She explained and patted him on the arm. "You're my friend, I trust you with it. Good-bye, Jake."

"Good-bye, Leah."

This time she didn't turn back. He watched her go through security still feeling shocked and quite honestly a little smug. He wasn't blind. He was well aware of the fact that Leah was a very attractive woman, but he also knew better than to ever go after her. He was happy to experience a kiss with her just once and still be friends afterwards. He sighed and left the building. _There goes the second girl I've ever kissed in my life._ Jacob thought to himself. He laughed at himself as he drove his car out of the parking lot and back towards home.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 Bright Lights**

"Good morning!" Mandy announced cheerfully as she barged into Leah's bedroom.

Leah groaned loudly and rolled over in her bed. She pulled the blankets over her head when her energetic roommate opened the curtains. It was, yet again, another sunny day in southern California. She felt the bed shaking and looked to see Mandy bouncing on the edge of it. She looked like she had just woken up as well. Her long blonde hair was a mess and she wore her silk kimono robe over her grey night dress.

"Mandy, what the hell?" Leah moaned as she looked at her alarm clock. "It's 7 am."

Mandy pouted at her. "You said we would do breakfast together before you have to leave me forever."

"I'm not leaving you forever. We'll see each other again. I'm gonna visit you." Leah said and patted Mandy's hand.

Leah met Mandy four years earlier. Leah had just been hired at a bar and grill restaurant in San Louis Obispo as the hostess and Mandy was one of the bartenders at the time. She was not very sure of Mandy at first. Mandy was completely opposite of Leah at the time. She was a short, energetic, party animal who couldn't stop talking. She somehow got Leah to agree to go out with her after work one night and the rest is history. Leah warmed up to Mandy and the girls soon became best friends and roommates.

"Come on. Get up." Mandy pouted again. "We need best friend time before you go to the airport."

"Oh my god. Fine." Leah moaned and threw the blankets off of her.

Today was THE day. The day Leah was returning home to Forks, Washington. It had been four years and six months, but Leah was ready. She was not the same woman she was when she arrived in southern California. She changed in so many ways. She received a degree in business, learned to speak Spanish, learned how to surf, and grew her hair out a bit. The most important change of all was the fact that she had stopped phasing. Completely. It took her months to figure it out, but she got it down. Yoga, Pilates, and working out at the gym helped to calm Leah when she was feeling worked up. Leah had cried with relief and happiness when her period came back, but Mandy thought she was crying because of cramps and forced her to take three ibuprofen.

"Ugh!" Leah yawned loudly.

She grabbed her own bathrobe from the hook behind the door and put it on over her tank top and night shorts. She followed her friend and roommate into their kitchen and sat at the island counter. Mandy got to work on breakfast while Leah opened her laptop to check her e-mails. She brought up two tabs; one for her e-mail account and one to check her flight. She had to let the website for the airline load, so she went ahead and checked her e-mail. There were a ton of junk e-mails and one real e-mail. It didn't surprise her to see that it was from Jacob Black. Over the last four years, Leah and Jacob had e-mailed each other every other day and Skyped each other twice a week. They had gone from friends to best friends and neither one was ashamed to admit it. Leah smirked and opened the e-mail.

'Lee,

You're coming home today! Are you excited? What time does your flight come in? You better respond soon.

Laters.

-Jay'

Leah snorted with laughter at his sign-off. Months after arriving in southern California, Leah was discussing typical first names for Californians with Jacob over Skype one evening. She had been drinking and was feeling giddy when she thought it would be a good idea to give Jacob his very own "Californian name" and called him Jay. He thought it was hilarious and ever since then he just let her call him Jay.

"Oh my goodness." Mandy said and gave Leah a smirk. "There is only one other person besides me in the world who can make you smile at 7 am. Did Jake e-mail you?"

Leah scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Maybe." She mumbled.

Mandy set down the frying pan and gave Leah a look. For years Mandy tried to convince her that Jake was "the one" for Leah, only Leah knew better than that. Mandy knew a lot of things about Leah's past, but she didn't know about the phasing into a wolf thing and she didn't know about the imprinting thing. Leah had tried her best to explain that Jake kind of had somebody important in his life and he would never fall for anyone else, but Mandy wasn't convinced.

Leah closed out her e-mail and went about checking her flight time. She had mixed feelings about going home. On the one hand, she would finally be in her childhood home with her mother and younger brother. She missed her family so much. They had only visited her a few times. One of those times was just after her mother married Charlie Swan. They had come down as part of their honeymoon to stay with Leah for a couple days. On the other hand, Leah was going back to the place where she was left absolutely heartbroken which led to her becoming a part of a pack of fellow Native Americans who phased into giant wolves when a vampire was near. She didn't want to phase ever again.

Just as Leah was finishing up and Mandy had set down their plates of eggs and bacon, a Skype call popped up on her screen.

"Oh. It's Jake." Leah said aloud.

"Wait don't answer it yet!" Mandy exclaimed.

She rushed over to stand next to Leah and fluffed her blonde hair with her hands. She let her robe fall off of one of her shoulders.

"Okay. Answer it." She instructed Leah.

Leah sighed and shook her head. Mandy flirted with Jake almost every time he Skyped Leah. She just about drooled when Leah once showed her a group picture of Jake, Sam, Quil, Embry, Seth, Paul, and Jared.

"Hey, Jay." Leah greeted when she answered it.

Jake's face appeared on the screen. His hair was a disaster as if he too had just rolled out of bed, or was just relieved of patrol. He smiled.

"Hey, Lee." His eyes moved to Mandy and his eyebrows shot upwards. "Hello, Mandy. How are you?"

"Oh, I'm good." She answered with a seductive smile. "You're looking good."

"Okay!" Leah turned to her friend and said in a whisper, "Could you please stop whoring yourself out to Jake? Go eat your breakfast."

Mandy stuck her tongue out at Leah and went back to the other side of the counter to eat and read the newspaper. Jake laughed quietly.

"So, why haven't you responded to my e-mail?" He questioned Leah.

"Jay!" Leah complained. "You know I sleep later on Saturdays. I shouldn't be awake right now."

"Blah, blah, blah. What time do you get home?"

"Midafternoon. I should arrive in Port Angeles at 3pm today."

"Cool, okay." He said and nodded. "Is that what you're wearing on the plane?"

Leah gasped and looked down at herself. Her robe was open and it was obvious that she wasn't wearing a bra under her tank top. She covered the camera in her laptop with her hand. Jake laughed at her reaction.

"Aw, come on! I didn't see anything!"

"I have to go finish packing. See you tomorrow!" Leah said, still covering the camera.

"Fine! Come on home, Leah. Bye!" Jake said and winked at the camera before ending the call.

Leah closed her laptop and glanced over at Mandy, who was giving her a look. She slowly set down her fork and the paper. Leah tried to ignore her looks and immediately started on her own food.

"You two need to do it and get it over with." Mandy told her.

Leah nearly choked on her eggs. She regained control and said, "I told you it's not like that. We may flirt sometimes, but we would never get together. He's my best friend from back home. I don't see myself being with him."

"Ugh, I don't understand your logic."

"I don't know how to explain it. It's just-" Leah started but she was cut off.

"Yeah, yeah. The old "it's complicated" explanation."

Leah smiled to herself and continued eating. She was going to miss Mandy. She was her one and only friend here. Leah knew that she would definitely fly down to visit her as much as possible.

Leah stood before the security checkpoint with her purse on her shoulder and her plane ticket in hand. This was it. She was about to go board a plane that would take her home. She bit her bottom lip as the emotions rolled in.

"I don't know why you're wearing that sweater. It's summer." Mandy commented.

"It's always cold in Forks though. I should be wearing a long sleeve shirt under this as well because I know this won't be enough once the plane lands."

"Oh I'm going to miss you so much!" Mandy cried and hugged Leah.

Leah hugged her friend back and tried to control her tears. "I'm going to miss you too, but I will visit. Maybe you could visit Forks sometime?"

"Okay." Mandy sniffed.

The two let go of each other and Leah took in a calming breath. She promised Mandy that she would call her when gets home. The girls said their good-byes and went their separate ways. On the plane, Leah took a few more calming breaths. _Okay, it's time. Enough running around southern California. Time to go home._ She thought to herself.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 Smile**

Leah lightly pressed her face to the little window as the plane came to a stop on the tarmac. She looked towards the terminal of the tiny Port Angeles airport where groups of people were huddled together, waiting for their friends or family members on board the plane. She easily zeroed in on her own family. Her mother was smiling and nearly bouncing where she stood while clinging on to Charlie's arm. Seth, who was so tall that he towered over his mother, was laughing and waving both his hands at the plane. She laughed quietly to herself. Her little brother was such a fool sometimes.

The "fasten seatbelt" sign finally turned off and the flight attendant gave the okay for everyone to get out of their seats. Leah waited impatiently for the passengers in front of her to deplane. Fresh, cold air splashed her face when she reached the doorway. As she descended the stairs a shiver ran through her. She knew her zip-up hoodie was not going to be enough for the weather in this state. She pulled her zipper up a little more and shoved her hands in her pockets as another shiver ran through her.

Leah followed the other passengers from the plane to the terminal. Seth broke away from the waiting crowd and jogged right up to her. She busted out laughing when he wrapped her in a bear hug and spun her around once. She had missed her sweet, goofy little brother.

"I'm so glad you're home, sis'! It's about time!" Seth exclaimed happily.

"I'm happy to see you too." Leah told him as she let him go.

He was still the sweet looking young man that she had left behind four years earlier. Freakishly tall and a bit too thin, but he still had an honest and innocent face.

Leah turned around and found her mother standing there, waiting for her turn to hug Leah. She missed her mother too. Her mother was possibly the most kind and understanding person Leah knew. Sue smiled proudly at Leah, her eyes shining with tears.

"Oh, my girl!" She exclaimed and hugged her daughter. "I'm so happy you are home."

"Me too, mom." Leah said as she tried to fight away her own happy tears. "I've missed you."

Sue pulled away, but kept her hands on Leah's shoulders. She looked over Leah from head to toe.

"Look at you!" Sue said proudly. "You look great! Your hair is so cute. Growing your hair out was a good choice."

"Thanks, mom." Leah replied.

Leah saw that Charlie was hanging back, letting Sue and Seth have their time with Leah. He stood there politely watching them, with his hands in his pockets. She liked Charlie Swan, she may not be the biggest fan of his daughter, but she respected Charlie. He made her mother happy and that's what mattered.

"Hey, Charlie." Leah greeted him. "It's good to see you again."

Charlie grinned and stepped forward so they could shake hands. "Welcome home, Leah. Good to have you back."

"Thanks."

After retrieving Leah's suitcase and duffle bag, the family left the airport terminal. They packed themselves and the luggage into Sue's car and took off towards home. To be more exact, they headed towards Leah and Seth's childhood home on the Quileute reservation. Sue had actually moved in with Charlie after their wedding, however, she found that she did not have the heart to sell her home that she had shared with her children and first husband. She had rented it out to a couple of people, but as soon as she found out that Leah wanted to come home, she gave the tenants a fair warning that they should start looking for a new place. Since Seth and Quil had become roommates after high school and moved in a two bedroom apartment on the reservation, Sue wanted Leah to have the house.

The drive took about an hour and Leah felt the nervous excitement build more and more as they neared the reservation. She watched the forest blur by outside. Finally they were on the familiar highway that led right into the reservation. The little town was the same as it's always been. The same tired looking shops lined the main street and the same old Stop-'n-Go gas station sat on the corner. It was all comforting to Leah though. She didn't realize just how homesick she was until now.

As they turned onto the street that led to her childhood home, she felt relieved. One of the neighbor's children were playing in their front yard. A little boy and a little girl laughed as they splashed in muddy puddles and it made Leah smile because they reminded her of herself and Seth when they were little. Seconds later they stopped and parked right outside the house. Leah sighed and got out of the car and into the cold air.

What she saw next didn't really surprise her, but she laughed out loud and shook her head. Sitting on the steps of the porch was Jacob Black. He smiled back and stood up.

"I should have known." Leah said loud enough for Jake to hear from across the yard.

"Did you really think that I would miss one of my best friends finally coming home for the first time in 4 years?" He said and laughed.

Leah slammed the car door shut and started running towards Jake. Jake jumped off the porch and jogged towards Leah. They met in the middle of the damp front yard. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he hugged her around her waist. He briefly picked her up off the ground and she slapped him on the shoulder and laughed when he put her down.

"Look at you!" Jake said as he held her at arm's length away. "I mean seeing you through Skype was one thing, but in person! You look awesome!"

"Aww, thanks Jay."

"Come on kids, let's get inside." Sue said and ushered everybody towards the house.

Hanging out with her family and Jake was the best homecoming she could have asked for. They ate dinner together, talked, and joked for hours. At the end of the night Leah looked around the room and she knew that these were the people who could always make her smile. The only person missing was her best girlfriend, Mandy. She was going to have to see about flying Mandy up here soon.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Paralyzer**

Embry Call sat in his and Jake's living room and stared at the energy drink on the coffee table in front of him. Usually he drinks either one of these or a coffee every morning because he otherwise has the worst time waking himself up. This morning, however, he was feeling kind of odd. He woke up before his alarm went off, which never happens, and he was wide awake. If these were the only two problems he was having then he wouldn't be so worried, but he was having heart rate issues as well. He woke up to his heart beating much faster than normal. It was making him jittery.

 _What the hell is wrong with me?_ He thought to himself. _Maybe I should cut back the energy drinks to every other day._

"Hey, dude." Jake greeted him as he entered the room. "Why are you up? We aren't opening the garage today."

The garage that Jake was referring to was the business that he, Embry, Seth, Quil, and Jared started after high school graduation. It was actually kind of genius because there were no professional mechanics on the reservation. Before they opened their business, all the residents on the reservation had to go into Forks or Port Angeles to get their vehicles worked on. All five of the guys grew up learning about cars and how to fix them. Jake knew more than the others, but they all loved the job.

"I don't know." Embry sighed and sat back lazily. "I'm just really awake this morning. I'm gonna skip the caffeine."

Jake raised an eyebrow at him and then shrugged. "Maybe that's a good idea."

Embry looked over at his roommate. It was odd for Jake to up before noon on his day off too, yet he stood there fully dressed and reaching for his boots.

"Where are you going?" Embry asked curiously.

"I'm going to drive Leah to pick up her rental car and then we're gonna hang out for a bit." Jake answered as a matter of factly. "Later this afternoon we will meet you and the rest of the pack at Sam's house for dinner."

Embry was surprised by the last bit of information. "She's willingly going over to Sam and Emily's?"

"Yeah. I guess she and Emily started talking again and made up. Leah doesn't care about Sam like that anymore, so she's going to try being friends with both him and Emily again."

"Huh. Good for her." Embry replied. He still didn't completely believe it. "She knows they have a son, right?"

Jake gave Embry a look. "Of course she knows."

"Okay, well I'll see you two later I guess." Embry concluded and gave Jake a half wave.

"Later." Jake said and left the apartment.

Embry sighed and got up off the couch. He figured as long as he had time to kill, then he should probably work out. He changed into an old t-shirt and a pair of basketball shorts, grabbed a towel, and walked down to the little work-out room that belonged to the apartment complex. It wasn't much, but it worked. He was pleased that he was the only one in here this morning. After running on the treadmill for a while he moved on to lifting weights. He had hoped that working out would ease the jitteriness and the racing heart, but it didn't. The shower he took afterwards didn't even help so he just tried to ignore it.

"What time will Jake and Leah be here? I'm starving!" Quil complained to Sam.

It was almost five o'clock in the afternoon and all the guys (Sam, Paul, Jared, Quil, Embry, and Seth) were sitting in folding chairs on the front porch of Sam and Emily's house. Emily, Rachel, and Kim were inside preparing a delicious feast of tacos. Embry nodded in agreement with Quil. He leaned back in his chair and put his feet up on the porch railing.

"Relax, they'll be here in a few minutes." Sam sighed.

"Jake said she's like a totally different person now." Paul said and looked over at Sam. "Do you think she's back to "Leah" Leah?"

"Haha, I don't know." Sam answered with a smile. "She doesn't phase anymore. What do you think, Seth? Is the old Leah back?"

"She's happy, if that's what you mean." Seth mumbled and rolled his eyes.

"What are you guys talking about?" Quil asked Sam and Paul. "Was Leah actually nice before she started phasing?"

"Nice, fun, sexy…" Paul ticked off each word with his fingers. "Yeah she used to be crazy fun."

"Yeah. I remember one time in senior year she snuck out of her house, stole her dad's truck, picked me up, and drove us to a party in Port Angeles." Sam recalled and smiled widely.

"She was grounded for a month after that." Seth put in.

"She was freaking hilarious too. She helped plan the senior prank for her class." Paul said and added. "Actually, Embry kind of reminds me of the old Leah."

"What?" Embry asked in disbelief. "I can't imagine that."

"It's true." Sam said in agreement with Paul. "You, Jake, and Quil never knew Leah before she started phasing. She was a totally different person from the one you knew. It's my fault, but hopefully things will be better this time around."

"There they are." Paul said and pointed at a dark red sedan that was pulling up to the curb.

They all fell silent as they waited for the occupants to get out of the car. Jacob got out on the passenger side. He waved and called out a greeting to them. Embry's eyes traveled to the woman who was getting out on the driver's side. His heart, which had been too beating fast since that morning, now seemed to pound even harder in his chest. His hands were shaking slightly and his breathing was shallow. When his eyes fell on Leah's face he knew exactly what was going on with him, but he couldn't stop it from happening now. He was paralyzed by the sight of her. The only thing he could focus on was her. The world around him seemed to blur. He only saw her chocolate colored eyes, smooth skin, perfect nose, full lips, and soft wavy hair. Never had Embry seen such beauty and perfection before this moment. All he could do was stare dumbly at her.

"Now _that's_ the Leah I used to know." Sam said, stressing the 'that' in his comment about Leah.

She was indeed a different person than the one Embry remembered. At least, in her physical appearance. Her hair was longer. It fell to just past her shoulders and was parted to one side. She was still thin, but the curves of her body were more pronounced than he remembered. The navy blue, floral print dress that she wore showed off her long legs. She smiled and shoved her hands in the pockets of her leather jacket as she and Jake walked up to the house.

 _Oh god._ Embry thought in a panic, _I imprinted on Leah. How is this possible?_

"Leah!" Sam said happily as he stood up and walked over to greet her. "Welcome home. We're all happy to have you back here."

Embry squeezed his eyes shut and took in a deep breath. Thankfully nobody noticed what had just happened to him. He tried to look as normal as possible as he followed the rest of the group off the porch and down the walkway.

"Hi, Sam." Leah greeted back politely. "Good to see you too. How's the family?"

"They're good." He replied.

Sam and Leah hugged awkwardly. When they broke apart Leah went on to hug each of the other guys. When she got to Embry, he gave her a tight yet quick hug around the waist. She smelled like roses and fresh berries and he loved it.

"Come on in." Sam said to her. "The girls are inside and they are excited to see you again."

All in all the dinner went over well. The girls had squealed with excitement when Leah walked through the door. Kim and Rachel made Leah their new best friend and Emily spoke to Leah as if nothing bad had ever happened between them. Embry kept a close eye on Leah and her reactions. He saw that even though the others didn't feel the awkwardness, she did and she showed small signs of it through her movements and in her face. He wished he could tell the others to chill out for her sake.

Embry chose to speak only when necessary. He didn't want anyone to know about him imprinting on Leah. He knew he would just embarrass himself. He knew Leah well enough to know that she definitely wouldn't run into his arms crying with happiness. No, she would think it was a joke. And not a very funny one either. So, he sat and listened to every word that came out of her mouth while he picked at his food and drank his beer.

Leah had done so much since she left. She had worked, learned to surf, made new friends, had an apartment with a roommate, went to clubs and concerts, graduated from college, and so much more. Embry had no idea she was so interesting. He began to feel disappointed in himself for not getting to know her in the past, then again she wasn't very friendly back then either. If only there had been some sign or clue four years ago that Leah was meant to be his soulmate.

"So, Leah-" Sam began as he shoved his empty dinner plate away. "Are you back with us for good or are you going back to California?"

This was something Embry had not thought about. What would happen if she did leave again? The thought of this alone made Embry's chest tighten with anxiety. What if she left and he never got the chance to explain? He set down his fork and waited for her to answer Sam's question.

She set down her water glass and cleared her throat. "Well, I'm not sure yet. I'll definitely be here for the rest of the year, but after that I'm not sure."

 _Six months._ Embry thought. _Six months to figure out why I imprinted on her and to tell her the truth._

That night Embry couldn't sleep. He laid in his bed and stared up at the dark ceiling with thoughts of Leah in his head. He tried to put everything out of mind, but every time he closed his eyes he would see her eyes or hear her voice. Never had a woman had such an effect on him before.

 _What is she doing to me?_

He regretted not paying attention when Sam, Quil, and Jake talked about imprinting. He knew how imprinting happens, obviously, and he knew the basic definition of an imprint, but what he needed to understand was the deeper meaning of imprinting. Maybe he could get some info from Jake without tipping him off to what happened.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: She's So High**

Embry stood next to the front door, impatiently waiting for Jake to be ready to leave for work. He checked his watch and realized that he had only been waiting for five minutes. It felt like he had been standing there for twenty minutes. He sighed and rolled his eyes. His grumpiness and impatience was due to the fact that he didn't sleep the night before. He was up all night basically having a panic attack about imprinting on Leah Clearwater and researching as much about the Quileute wolves as possible. When he found almost nothing useful about imprinting he nearly broke his laptop in frustration.

"Okay." Jacob said as he finally emerged from the apartment. "Sorry, I had to go back and brush my teeth."

"Let's just go." Embry mumbled and turned towards where Jake's car was parked.

Embry got into the passenger side and buckled his seatbelt. He turned on the radio and went through the available stations as Jake turned the car onto the street. He settled on a station that's known for playing a variety of genres and stared out the window. The image of Leah was burned into his mind. He thought about how beautifully mysterious she was. She only talked about herself when she was answering a question and the way she looked at everyone like she knew something they didn't. She could probably see right through them all.

"Dude, why are you so quiet today?" Jake asked him.

"Uh, I just didn't sleep too well last night." Embry answered, dismissing the topic.

"Oh. That sucks because it's going to be a long day." Jake said. "We have a ton of appointments scheduled for today."

"Great." Embry sighed.

Embry looked sideways at Jake. He didn't say anything more and was staring out at the road in front of them. Perhaps now would be a good time to ask questions about imprinting. May as well be now, before they were at work surrounded by the other guys.

"So," Embry began and cleared his throat. "I've been thinking about this whole imprinting thing lately."

Jake gave him a surprised look before returning his attention to driving.

"Oh, really?" He asked. His voice confirming his surprise.

"Yeah, well you know I broke up with Heather a couple weeks ago because she wanted to get too serious and it's made me wonder about imprinting."

"What do you want to know?"

"How do you know when you've imprinted?"

"Well," Jake began. He seemed a bit uncomfortable, but mostly curious to hear Embry's questions. "When you see your imprint for the first time it feels like the whole world has flipped, because you never expect it to happen. You instantly know in your heart that that person is made for you."

"So, you don't want to be with anybody else romantically?" Embry already knew the answer, but he needed a confirmation from Jake.

"No." Jake answered simply. "You're instantly in love with that person forever. The bond to the imprint is so strong because they're your soulmate not only in this life, but in the next life as well."

"What about the imprint? They can't imprint back, so they don't feel that way back right?"

"No. They have a choice. Look at what happened to Sam. Emily hated him at first, but she fell for him after a while. You will be whatever that person needs you to be, whether it's a friend or lover. As long as she is happy, you will be happy."

"Hmm." Embry hummed thoughtfully.

"Is that why you keep breaking up with these girls you date?" Jake asked amusingly. "Because you're afraid of imprinting on someone?"

"I guess. Better to be called a player than to make a girl go through what Leah had to go through." Embry answered quietly.

"Just remember that there's a possibility that you may not imprint at all." Jake concluded as he parked the car outside their work. "You don't have to torture yourself while waiting for this girl. Besides, you've almost gone through all the cute girls on the rez already."

Embry laughed loudly as he slammed the car door shut. Boy that was the truth! He had dated tons of girls, made-out with almost all of them, but actually gone all the way with a small group of them. He quickly sobered up as he realized that the only person he would want to see naked from now on would be Leah. That would never happen though. Before she left they were always fighting, and they may be pleasant to each other now that she wasn't so angry anymore but they weren't exactly friends. He would have to change that.

9:30am to 6:00pm made for a very long day, but it was just what Embry needed to keep his mind off of Leah. The constant stream of customers kept him from going into day dream land for very long. Embry yawned and stretched his arms above his head. It was ten minutes to six and he was spent.

At the moment he was alone in the appointment office while Jake and Quil tidied up the garage and Seth closed the cash registers in the main store. Embry shut off the computer and started filing away paperwork. He bent down and opened one of the file cabinet drawers. Seconds later he heard the door open so he stood up to tell the person that they were closing up shop, but when he saw who it was his heart stopped. Leah stood in the doorway looking incredibly hot in tight jeans and a tight long sleeve top. Her hair was tussled from the wind.

"Hi, Embry." She greeted him politely.

"Uh, h- hey." He stuttered then quickly added, "What are you doing here?"

"I know you guys are closing, so I came to see if Jake wanted to go get food and hang out." She answered as she approached the counter. "He's still here, right?"

"Yeah. H- he's cleaning the garage, but he should be almost done."

"Okay. I'll wait here if that's okay with you."

"Of course."

Leah put her elbow on the counter and leaned her head in her hand. Embry quickly wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans as Leah studied the office. He couldn't take his eyes off her face. She wore a bored yet patient look as she waited.

 _Why did she have to come in here?_ He thought desperately. _I was doing just fine, then she comes around and I can't speak clearly anymore. I wonder what she did today._

"How are you?" Embry asked out of nowhere.

Leah looked at him, surprised that he asked. "I'm fine. It's nice to be home and not have to worry about pack stuff."

"I'll bet. Wha-" He was cut off by Jake and Quil entering the room.

"Hey!" Jake greeted her happily.

"Hey!" She said with a smile.

The two hugged. Embry had to look away and busied himself with looking for the keys so they could lock-up. He found them in a drawer and walked over to the door. The group exited and met up with Seth in the parking lot. Leah invited all of them to go with her and Jake. Quil said he had to go babysit Clair for a couple hours, and Seth claimed that he was too tired. Embry, of course, accepted the invite. Jake was his ride home anyway.

The little group ended up at Leah's mother's diner. It was close by and the food was guaranteed to be delicious. Without really thinking, Embry held open the door to the restaurant which earned him a weird look from Jake and an awkward, but thankful smile from Leah. It wasn't his usual style to hold open doors for his friends, but his heart and his mind were telling him that Leah should be treated better. At the table he sat next Jake, across from Leah. He listened to them speak, adding in a comment here and there, and laughing when appropriate. The only thing he could truly focus on was the way her lips moved when she spoke and the way her eyelashes fanned out when she looked down at her plate. He had to check himself many times so that neither her or Jake caught him staring.

"Well," Jake started and stood up. "I'm going to use the restroom before we leave."

Embry watched his friend walk away before looking back at Leah. She was looking back at him too with a curious look on her face. He felt his heart rate speed up. This was the first time they were alone together.

"You've been quiet, Embry. That's not you." She commented.

He laughed, mostly at himself, but loved the way she said his name.

"Yeah. I'm just tired I guess. Long day." He offered and looked down at his empty plate.

"Are you sure it's not because of something else?" She asked knowingly.

He looked at her with wide eyes. Oh god, did she know?

"What do you mean?" He asked, trying to keep the panic out of his voice.

"Because of the last time we spoke? Four years ago, before I left?"

"Wait, what?" Now he was very confused.

"You don't remember?" She asked in amusement. "A few days before I left you and I got into a fight. You ended up calling me a bitch and I punched you pretty hard in the stomach."

Embry stared at her for a moment in surprise. He thought back to the fight she described and suddenly remembered every bit of what happened. She was refusing to come back to Sam's pack after the thing with the Volturi and Embry had told her to "stop being such a bitch and just come back" and Leah responded by punching him in the stomach. She had hit him so hard that he fell to the ground. The memory made him hate himself.

"Oh geeze. I actually forgot, but I'm really sorry about that." He told her in horror.

"Well, I'm sorry for punching you." She offered back with a forgiving smile.

"Okay," Jake announced as he came back to the table. "I paid the bill on the way back. We can go."

On the way back to the car, Embry walked a few paces behind so that he could watch her walk. Her strides were filled with a sexy confidence that he liked a lot. Her head was held high and when the wind blew through her hair he could see the smooth lines of her jaw and slender neck.

 _There's no way anything will happen between us._ Embry thought depressingly. _She's as perfect and beautiful as any woman I've ever known. She wouldn't waste her time on a guy like me._


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:**

Leah yawned loudly and stretched as she got out of bed. Outside her window the fog was so thick that she couldn't see past the front lawn. Her mouth twisted into a frown. She had planned on going for a run today.

 _Hopefully some of this fog will burn off soon._ She thought.

She slipped on a pair of yoga pants and grabbed her mat from the closet. Yoga was one of the few things that helped tame the urge to phase. She was introduced to yoga by Mandy. At first Leah felt like she looked ridiculous, but as she got into it more and more she realized that was actually very helpful.

Breathing slowly and evenly, Leah bent from one position into the next. She put everything out of her mind to focus on her movements. Before she knew it, an hour had passed and she was done.

 _Breakfast time._ She thought to herself as she made her way into the kitchen.

After a light breakfast of a bagel with light cream cheese and grapes, Leah went up to her room to change into some proper running gear. Fresh, cold air splashed her face as soon as she stepped out of the house just minutes after changing. She was glad to see that the fog had thinned out considerably. She locked her front door, slipped the key under the mat, and walked to the end of the block.

She started off slow, jogging a few blocks and down the main street. At the gas station, she turned off main street towards the beach. Running on sand is far more challenging and burns way more calories than running on cement.

It only took her fifteen minutes to get to the beach from the end of her block where she started. Leah stood at the edge of the parking lot and looked down at the beach. There were no other people in sight. Back in California the beach would already be busy with other morning runners and Leah had always been annoyed by it. She preferred working out alone, but with all those other runners it always felt like she was a part of a group. A group of random strangers working out together. Weird.

She started out on one side of the beach and ran to the other, then back again. After a few runs back and forth, Leah stopped by the water to stretch her muscles. She stared out at the ocean as she pulled one arm tightly across her chest. The dark water looked gloomy, and almost menacing.

 _Hmm, I'm not really tired yet._ She thought as she stood there with her hands on her hips. _Maybe I should walk the trail in the forest._

Leah eyed the trail that led from the beach and into the forest. She knew that since the vampire problem was under control for the time, that the only danger she should consider were bears and mountain lions. But they're usually more scared of people.

"Hey there!" Came a male voice from right behind Leah.

"Ahh!" Leah yelped and spun around to find Embry Call standing there. She had been so deep in her thoughts that she didn't even hear him approach.

"Oh, geeze I'm sorry." He apologized. "Are you okay?"

"Yes." She answered in slight annoyance. "I didn't hear you walking up behind me."

"You out for a run too?" He asked casually, trying to re-establish good terms.

"Uh, yeah. I was just thinking about walking the trail."

"By yourself?" He questioned.

 _Why does he sound so worried? Weirdo._ She thought to herself.

"Yes." She answered as a-matter-of-factly. "I'll see you later."

She half waved at him and turned to leave. She didn't feel like standing there on the beach looking like a lost idiot.

"Mind if I come along?" Embry asked quickly.

She stopped and looked back at him. He stood there with his hands on his hips and smiling dumbly at her. There was something else in his face too, some other emotion, that she couldn't place.

"Well, I guess not." She shrugged. "I don't want to go up too far. I'm just going up to the cliff you guys used to dive off of."

"That's fine." He answered happily and walked right past her towards the trail.

She silently followed behind him. Looking up and down she just now realized that he was shirtless. His shirt was half tucked into the waistband of his running shorts. She raised an eyebrow as she shamelessly checked him out. His muscular back and shoulders were nothing to scoff at for sure. She wasn't blind, she always knew Embry was an attractive guy, but he had always acted like a stupid jackass in the past which always overshadowed anything else. Although, the last couple of times she was around him he had been super quiet and actually kind of nice.

"So, do you go running every morning?" Embry suddenly asked her.

"No. I take it easy Friday through Sunday." She answered as she stepped over a fallen tree branch. "What about you?"

"I run whenever I can. When I'm off work and when I'm on patrols."

She nodded, although she didn't know why. He couldn't see her. She sighed and tried to think of something to talk about. This was a bit awkward. They had never hung out alone together before.

"Soooo… How was your high school graduation?" She asked him.

"Oh uh, it was good." He answered awkwardly, then changing his tone he happily added, "Sam and Emily threw us a graduation party. It was pretty awesome. The day after, Jake, Quil, and I drove into Seattle and stayed for a few days."

"Nice. Seattle's alright. How about the dating life? Are you seeing anyone?" She asked, trying to keeping the conversation going.

"Oh, uh…" He started and peeked back at her. "No. I was, but she wanted to get too serious."

"And you didn't want to then?"

"No. She was nice and all, but I didn't and couldn't fall in love with her."

"Oh. Well it was probably for the best. I mean, trust me, it'll be much easier on you once you imprint."

Embry looked back at her again. He had a pained expression on his face that Leah didn't understand. She locked eyes with him and forgot to watch where she was going. She tripped and began to fall.

"Woah!" She yelled.

Two hands shot out in front of her and caught her before she hit the ground. Leah held on to Embry's shoulders as she scrambled to regain her footing. He stood up with her, but since he was over a foot taller than she was her feet were practically dangling. He held her for a moment. Both stared at each other in surprise.

"Uh, are okay?" He asked awkwardly as he set her down.

"Yes. Uh, thanks." She quickly let go of his shoulders and straightened her clothes.

"So I think we're just about there." He said, clearly trying to bring down the awkwardness.

They continued on for five more minutes in silence. Leah looked sideways at Embry and wondered why that whole situation was so awkward. Something was different here, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Although, she could be imagining things. Yeah, that was probably it.

Finally, they cleared the trees and stepped onto the rocky cliff. It was a beautiful sight. The sun wasn't covered by clouds and fog anymore. The sky was brighter and even the ocean looked more blue and less of a murky grey. The two stood there, silently looking over everything in sight. Sand, ocean, forest, mountains, and sky.

"This is nice." Embry said calmly.

"Yeah. It's a great view." Leah agreed. "I've missed the sights here."

"Maybe you should stay then." Embry replied.

"Hmm?" She looked over at him in confusion.

"At Sam and Emily's place, you said you were not sure if you would be going back to California or where ever after the new year. If you missed being here that much, then maybe that means you should stay."

She stared at him for a moment in surprise. She considered that perhaps he was right. But, then again, what was there here for her? She looked back down at the ocean below, finally breaking eye contact with him. She thought she heard him sigh.

"Eh, I don't know. We'll see." She said indecisively.

They spent a few more minutes admiring the view and chatting lightly. Leah decided that Embry wasn't bad company. He was a little weird at times, like when she had tripped and he caught her, but otherwise he was pretty cool. Eventually they made it back to the beach.

"Well, thanks for the company." Leah said as she turned to walk back home. "I'll see you around."

"Hey wait." Embry said suddenly.

Leah stopped and turned around. She thought he looked a bit nervous. But why? She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Jake and I are off this weekend. Do you want to come hang out?"

 _That was unexpected. But nice._

"Sure. Just have Jake text me."

"Okay. Bye, Leah."

"Bye, Embry."

 _That guy has changed a lot. He's actually nice to be around now. Odd that he would tell me to stay here though. Like he really cares. Maybe he doesn't, but he was just trying to be nice. Whatever._

 **I'm so very sorry that it's been so long! School has started and I've been so focused. I will try to submit chapters more often!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8:**

Leah yawned and leaned lazily against the counter. She had just worked the opening shift at her mother's diner and she was tired. It was almost 1 o'clock in the afternoon which meant that she would be off soon and on her way to Jake and Embry's apartment.

The other day Leah had gone for a run on the beach and just as she finished her work out Embry showed up. After hanging out for a short time he had asked her to hang out again with him and Jake at their place. She had politely thanked him and told him to just have Jake text her about it. If Jake was going to be there and wanted to get together for whatever then that was fine, but if it was only her and Embry then it would be weird. She had never once been alone with Embry Call. Jake did end up texting her and invited her over for food, beer, and movies.

"Maria!" Leah said happily when the head waitress walked through the door. "I'm so glad you are here, because I am so out of here."

Maria was a local here on the reservation. She was just a few years younger than Leah, but she had worked for Leah's mother for four years already, making her the waitress who has worked there longest. She and her husband lived with and took care of her sick mother-in-law. Maria was mature beyond her age. She had a hard-working and kind, yet takes no crap attitude. Leah liked her.

"How's it been here?" Maria asked as she hung up her coat.

"Breakfast was super busy, as usual." Leah answered. "But as you can see, it's quieted down."

"It'll pick up again after four or five o'clock."

"Yeah, but I'm off now. See ya!" Leah smiled and playfully elbowed Maria in the side.

Leah laughed at Maria rolling her eyes and ran to grab her purse and coat. She didn't mind helping her mom out by taking a few shifts, but customer service really wore Leah down sometimes. She was looking forward to spending a lazy afternoon with her friends. Plus, she hadn't had junk food or beer in a while so she ate lightly this morning so that she could go all out later. Ah the little things.

A little while later Leah found herself knocking on the boys' apartment door. Almost immediately the door was wrenched open and she found herself face to face with Embry. He gave her a genuinely happy smile and invited her inside. Feeling surprised, all she could do was nod at him and enter the apartment. Inside she spotted Jake standing in the small kitchen. He had the refrigerator door open and was peering inside of it while giving a hello and half wave in Leah's direction.

"Well, it looks like we'll also have to pick up drinks and food when we go get the movies." Jake announced and shut the refrigerator door. "SOMEBODY didn't go shopping earlier."

"Sorry, dude." Embry shrugged. "I was sleeping."

"Well hurry up." Leah sighed. "Get your shoes on, let's do this."

Leah waited impatiently as the guys put on their boots. Her arms crossed and foot tapping on the linoleum floor.

"That's a cute pouty face." Embry commented in amusement.

"I am not pouting. I'm just starving." Leah replied hotly.

Both guys chuckled as they all filed out the door.

The grocery store on the reservation wasn't a chain supermarket, but it worked. It was owned by a local family. They had everything you needed; fresh produce, meats, bread, dairy, a small frozen foods section, ect. Other than the size, the only difference between this supermarket and a Raley's was that this store didn't have a floral section or a bakery. They did have a Redbox though, which is where Jake, Embry, and Leah currently found themselves.

"What do we get?" Embry asked them as they scrolled through the different menus.

"Oh, go back to the horror section." Jake said, but slapped Embry's hand out of the way and did it himself.

"Whatever, get what you want. It better be good though." Leah sighed and turned away. "I'm going to get the food."

"I'll go with you." Embry put in and started after her.

Leah reached out to grab a cart, but Embry was too quick. He grabbed a grocery cart and spun it around so that she was standing at the far end of it. She looked at him, bemused.

"Right, get in." Embry said with a smile.

"What?" Leah asked in confusion.

"Get in the cart. I'll push."

"Uh, no. Thanks, but I can walk."

"Ah, you're no fun."

"I don't think the employees would be very happy about a fully grown adult riding in one of their grocery carts."

"They're no fun either. Alright, off to the frozen pizza section!" Embry concluded happily and put one foot on the back of the cart, pushing himself down one of the aisles.

For the first time since talking to Maria earlier, Leah smiled. She giggled as she watched Embry push himself through the store. _'_ _What a goofy idiot.'_ She thought to herself. His antics kept her laughing until they got to the register when she realized that he and Jake were only 20 years old, which meant that she had to buy the beer.

They ended up renting two movies. One was a horror film called "Children of the Corn" and the other was a comedy called "Zombieland". They decided to watch "Zombieland" first while their pizza baked in the oven. Leah grabbed a beer and followed the guys to their tiny living room. They sat on either side of the couch, making Leah sit in the middle. Within seconds of sitting down she felt the intense heat rolling off their skin, but high body temperatures were a part of being in the wolf pack. She didn't mind anyway because it was cold out and her hoodie just wasn't doing the trick.

The three of them made it through the first movie laughing so hard they could hardly eat. It wasn't until the last scene in the movie that Jake's cell phone began receiving texts. Leah didn't have to ask to know who it was. Young Renesmee Cullen (Jacob's imprint) had recently taken a liking to texting and right now she was blowing up Jake's phone with texts.

"Something wrong?" Leah finally asked as the final credits rolled across the TV screen.

"Kind of. Nessie is just mad at Bella because Bella won't let her go to a sleep over at a friend's house." Jake sighed. "Sometimes I don't enjoy this early teenage phase."

"Wow, the teenage phase already?" Leah laughed, "Have fun with that."

"I'm gonna go call her real quick." Jake said as he got up to leave the room. "I'll be right back. Just go ahead and start the next movie."

Leah watched him go before turning to Embry. When she did she found him watching her. His arm closest to her was resting on the back of the couch, and he had a small grin on his face and a look in his eyes she didn't recognize. It was that awkward closeness she had felt that day on the trail. Leah leaned away slightly.

"What?" She asked quietly.

"Hmm? Nothing." Embry answered quickly and stood up. "I'll start the next movie."

Jake was gone for quite a while, but neither Leah nor Embry seemed to mind. The two just turned off the lights and settled back into the couch. Something in the air seemed to change once the lights were off though. The left side of her body (the side Embry sat next to) erupted in goosebumps and an almost overwhelming feeling to look at the man next to her, which she fought. Feeling confused and frustrated with herself, Leah bit down on her lip and tried to focus on the movie but was immediately startled by a terrifying scene on the screen. She jumped and automatically grabbed Embry's hand, which had been resting on his leg.

"Oh, sorry." Leah gasped and released his hand.

"It's okay. I don't mind if you have to hold my hand because you're scared." Embry told her. He sounded like he was teasing and serious at the same time.

"I'm not scared!" Leah hissed in annoyance. "I was just startled."

Of course not even five minutes later another terrifying scene in the movie made Leah jump and grab Embry's hand again. She huffed in frustration and let go of his hand. She heard Embry chuckle, but she refused to look at him. Suddenly she felt a very warm hand caress her wrist and slip into her own. Embry intertwined his fingers with hers and brought their hands to rest on his leg. She looked up at him with a silent question on her face.

"Come on, you're just going to jump again in a couple minutes." He murmured while keeping his eyes on the screen, as if this was normal.

Leah didn't say anything or even try to take her hand back. She contemplated on whether she should allow this or not, but a somewhere in the back of her mind she acknowledged that this felt kind of nice. It had been quite a while since she had a boyfriend and she missed the intimacy that came from a relationship. Not that she was considering Embry as a boyfriend, she just liked the closeness.

Before Leah could get too comfortable she heard a door open from down the hall. She jerked her hand away from Embry just before Jake rounded the corner. He apologized and said Nessie was feeling better now. He plopped down into his spot on the couch, but Leah no longer felt like watching this movie.

"I should go." She started, "I'm getting tired and it's getting late."

"Aw, that's too bad." Jake sighed, but he honestly looked tired too.

"I'll see you guys later." She quickly slipped on her boots and grabbed up her purse. "Have a good night."

"Night!" Jake called to her. He was already taking out the DVD.

Embry opened the front door for her before she could reach it.

"Good night, Leah." He said calmly as if nothing weird just happened between them.

"Good night, Em." She said, playing along with his attitude.

On her drive home Leah decided not to make a big deal about the hand holding. He was just being a nice guy, that's all. The thoughts of dating and intimacy, however, did not leave her mind. _'_ _Maybe I should go on a few dates while I'm home.'_ She thought to herself, _'_ _Maybe go up to Seattle for a night and dance at a club? Nah, it wouldn't be fun without Mandy. Shit I need to call her!'_

 **Author's Note: Hi! I bet you guys thought I forgot about you and the story. Nope, I was just trying to pass my class. I did pass by the way. Yay! Okay, on to more chapters!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9:**

"Girl, where have you been?!" Mandy yelled.

Leah winced and turned down the volume on her laptop a couple of notches. "I've been keeping busy. You know, working out, hanging with my mom and brother, catching up with old friends…"

"I thought you forgot about me." Mandy pouted.

"I called you a couple weeks ago."

"That's a long time for best friends!"

"I'm sorry. How are you doing?"

And off Mandy went into her daily life drama. Men, work, parents, clubs, and more men were the topics she talked (and complained) about the most. The restaurant she was currently working at had become insanely busy with tourists since the school year had ended. She had finally dumped her boyfriend, Tommy, who was in a band that wasn't going anywhere. Leah had always hated that guy. Her mother was on her back to find a nice guy and get married, but Mandy didn't want that yet. Leah couldn't agree with her friend more. They were only 24 years old after all.

"I just feel like it will happen when it happens. Ya know?" Mandy said while running a hand through her long blonde hair. "I'm enjoying my freedom right now."

"Yeah, I agree." Leah said and nodded.

"So tell me what you've been up to. How are things with your cousin?"

"Oh, uh… We're okay, I guess. We're trying to talk more often."

Mandy nodded at the camera.

"I've been hanging out with Jay and Embry lately." Leah continued, "It's not the same as hanging out with you, but they're pretty fun. We watched a couple movies last night."

"That sounds fun. Which ones were they again? Oh darn, I guess you will have to show me that picture of all of them again!"

The picture Mandy was referring to was an old group shot of the wolf pack (in their human forms of course) that was taken before Leah left. Most of the guys were shirtless in this photo.

"I am not getting the picture out." Leah tried to sound serious as she pointed at the screen. "You've seen it enough."

Mandy laughed and so did Leah. Her friend was so boy crazy and ridiculous sometimes.

"Well, that's okay. I can just check them out when I come to visit you next month!"

Leah's jaw dropped in surprise. "You're coming here? Really? That's so awesome!"

The two girls launched into planning Mandy's stay. Leah was happy to have this house to herself because Mandy would be taking Seth's old bedroom. She put together a proper clothing list and e-mailed it to her friend while they discussed La Push beach, shopping in Port Angeles, and spending a night out in Seattle. Leah couldn't be more excited.

"Alright, you'll have to e-mail me your flight number when it gets closer to time."

"Sounds good. I should go get ready for work." Mandy sighed. "I wanna save up some extra money for the trip."

"Okay. Talk to you later."

"By the way, I'm loving your hair. The beach waves look good with your hair length."

"Thank you!"

"Bye-bye!"

"Bye."

Leah shut down Skype and checked the time. She suddenly remembered that she was going to go over to her mom's and Charlie's place today. She wanted to spend time with her mother before her mother had to go into work. Leah felt bad that she hadn't seen her, or her brother, in almost a week. She pushed back from the kitchen table and went in search of her boots.

Embry's POV:

Embry yawned for the hundredth time. He had gotten absolutely zero sleep last night and it was effecting his work today. Once again, thoughts of Leah kept him awake. He just couldn't believe she had let him hold her hand, even if it was only for a couple minutes. When he had her so close and held her hand in his, he felt so much calmer. When she left he felt uneasy. Leah, however, wasn't the only thing on his mind. He was stressed because he knew Sam would be coming for him soon for not doing his patrols. He ignored Sam's last couple of phone calls, but he couldn't do that too much longer.

 _'_ _I can't ignore him any longer. Maybe I should just come clean to everyone.'_ He thought to himself. _'But is it right to tell Sam before telling Leah? With their history and all?'_

"Hey, Embry." Jake's voice came from behind.

"Hmm?" Embry looked up from the brakes he was working on.

"What's going on? You've been working on that forever."

"Oh, sorry. I'm pretty much done now. I didn't get any sleep last night."

"Again? Well maybe if you hadn't napped in the middle of the day…"

"I only napped yesterday because I didn't sleep well the night before that. And I had to take sleeping pills to help. That's why I didn't get up in time to go to the store."

"Geeze. I had no idea. What do you think the problem is?" Jake asked in concern.

"Eh, I'll tell you later. I'm done with this though." He told him and stood up.

"Okay. Oh yeah, there was something else I wanted to tell you."

"What?"

"Emily sent a text earlier." Jake explained as he took out his cell phone to look at it. "The weather next weekend is supposed to be great, so we're ALL going to La Push."

"Sounds good to me, bro." Embry yawned.

"Hahaha! Dude, take something tonight to help you sleep."

"Ha! Yeah that would be a good idea."

With that Jake left him to do his job. Embry tried everything he could think of to keep himself awake and moving the rest of the day. He had had about enough of this, however. That evening he would tell Jacob what was going on and hopefully they could partner up to do patrols so that Sam wouldn't find out before Leah about him imprinting on her. He knew Jake would help him. He's a good friend.


End file.
